A traveller's reflection: Thailand Borders 04: Trat

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin...” – Tony Robbins

(Wat Jai Bridge in Trat)

Day 04: Wednesday, 13 Nov 2024
Route: Samut Sakhon - chanthaburi - Trat
Distance: 389 km (5:40)
Hotel: Pailin Resort, Trat

Breakfast with half boiled eggs, bread, pineapple juice and Nescafe in the hotel room.

(Driving out of Samut Sakhon)

(A new elevated highway under construction)

(Driving on a tolled highway)

(A six lane Inter-city elevated highway)

(Smooth traffic all the way)

(Ice-cream break at Nong Samsak PTT)

Checked out and collected our deposit of B500. Drove on the Bang Na Expressway to Chon Buri. Also known as Burapha Withi Expressway, it is a six-lane elevated highway in Thailand. It is a toll road running above National Highway 34. Next, we took the motorway to Chanthaburi and had lunch at Chanthaburi Muslim Restaurant. This is our usual stop for lunch whenever we are in this province.

(Detouring to Chanthaburi town)

(Parking our bigfoot at the Chantanimit riverside)

(786 Muslim Restaurant of Chanthaburi)

(Murtabak, Bryani and beef curry for lunch)

Visited Masjid Muhajirin, which was quite run down then drove to Tamil Muslim Association Mosque for jamak prayers. We visited both mosques during our previous trips here.

(Masjid Muhajirin of Chanthaburi)

(The main prayer hall of Masjid Muhajirin)

(Tamil Muslim Association Mosque of Chanthaburi)

( The spacious main prayer hall)

(A replica of the Tamil Mosque)

Arrived in Trat around 4.00 pm. We drove to Baan Nam Chiao located not too far from Trat City. Baan Nam Chiao is a small fishing village located on both sides of the Nam Chiao canal. The community is made up of Khmer Malay Muslims, Chinese, and Thais living together harmoniously. Some houses are on stilts and connected by small concrete alley only can be accessible from the main road by motorcycles. We had to park and walk quite a distance to explore the attractions.

(Heading towards Thailand/Cambodian border)

(Arriving in the town of Trat)

(The fishing village of Baan Nam Chiao)

(The canal of Nam Chiao)

The most popular landmark at Ban Nam Chiao is the Wat Jai Bridge also known as 'the Bridge to Test Your Willingness' which is a steep bridge that connects the two sides of the canal.

(The famous bridge crossing the canal)

(A muslim cafe along the canal)

There is a mosque, a Chinese and a Thai Buddhist temples within the vicinity. Masjid Kubro located by the canal is over 200 years old, and is the religious center for Muslims there. It has been renovated several times over the years. There are a few small halal eateries along the canal. We packed seafood rice and iced Thai tea for dinner later.

(The 200 years old Masjid Kubro)

On the way back to the hotel we visited Masjid Raudatul Jinnan, the Central Mosque of Trat which is located along the main road. It is a large mosque catering to the Muslims in Trat.